Sell resources as an international school teacher
Teachers at international schools write resources for mixed classes, several curricula and constant staff turnover. Those resources often suit other schools too, and you can sell them on TeachLessons from wherever you teach.
Short answer: Yes, international school teachers can sell their own resources on TeachLessons from any country, if they write in English and can receive PayPal payments in US dollars. Check your school contract first, describe curriculum links without implying endorsement, and you keep 70% of net revenue, paid monthly.
Why do international school teacher resources sell well?
International schools are one of the main buyer groups on TeachLessons. Their teachers face problems that single-country resources rarely solve: classes where half the pupils are learning English, families who move every two or three years, and departments where colleagues trained in four different systems have to agree on one scheme of work.
If you've built materials that handle those problems, you've built something other international schools need. Typical strong sellers in this group:
- Units that teach the same concept with scaffolded versions for new English learners and fluent speakers.
- Transition and induction packs for pupils who join mid-year.
- Inquiry or project units that can be mapped to more than one curriculum.
- Cross-curricular units on migration, identity, cities or global trade, with examples from several continents.
- Planning templates and assessment rubrics that a mixed department can adopt quickly.
Does my international school contract allow me to sell resources?
Settle this first. International school contracts vary a lot. Some say nothing about teaching materials, some claim anything produced for the school, and some restrict outside work entirely. Local law in the host country can add its own rules, and visa or work permit conditions may also matter.
We can't interpret your contract. Read it, check any staff handbook policy on intellectual property or outside work, and ask your head of school or HR if anything is unclear. Keep a short note of which resources you made on your own time and which were commissioned or adapted from department materials.
Safest starting point: resources you wrote independently, with no school branding, no shared department templates and no pupils' names, photos or work samples. Resources must contain no personal data of real students.
How do I label IB, Cambridge and American curriculum resources?
Buyers search by curriculum, so naming one helps people find you. The rule is to describe what a resource is for, never to suggest an organization has approved it.
| Fine to write | Avoid |
|---|---|
| Inquiry unit for IB PYP classes | Official IB unit, IB approved |
| Revision notes written for Cambridge IGCSE Biology topics | Cambridge endorsed, official past papers |
| Grade 5 reading unit for American-curriculum schools, mapped to Common Core reading standards | Using a logo or a body's own branding on your cover |
| Works for English National Curriculum Year 6 and Grade 5 | Claiming alignment you haven't checked |
IB and Cambridge have more detail in our pages on selling IB teaching resources and selling Cambridge IGCSE and A level resources. Never copy past papers, mark schemes or official guides into a resource you sell.
How do I make one resource work across curricula?
The teachers buying from international schools often switch systems within a career, and many schools run two side by side. Resources that travel well usually share a few habits:
- Learning goals written as plain skills ("compare two sources for reliability") rather than as one curriculum's code.
- A short mapping table at the start: which year group, grade or program the resource suits, and which strands or topics it touches.
- Age ranges as well as year labels, since Year 7, Grade 6 and MYP 1 overlap without matching exactly.
- Both A4 and US Letter PDFs, because international schools use both depending on where they are and who supplies their printers.
- One spelling choice applied consistently, stated in the description. British spelling suits most international schools outside the Americas; American-curriculum schools often prefer US spelling.
What makes examples feel right in an international classroom?
International school buyers notice quickly when every name in a worksheet comes from one country, or when a "world foods" activity treats whole continents as one dish. Use names, places, currencies and festivals from many backgrounds, and treat them as ordinary detail, not as the topic.
Be careful with holidays and religion. A resource built around one festival can be a good seller in some schools and unusable in others. Where you can, offer the activity in a neutral version and a themed one, and say which is which.
Check maps, flags and borders carefully, and avoid political framing that one family or host country could reasonably object to. Resources must be suitable for schools, and international schools take this seriously.
How am I paid if I move countries every few years?
Payouts don't depend on where you live. You set prices in US dollars, keep 70% of net revenue (67.9% of the price after the 3% processing cost) and receive payment by the 15th of each month via PayPal in US dollars, with a statement listing every sale. A $5.00 unit pays $3.40 per sale; a $24.99 unit pays $16.97.
If you move, update your details by email. Tax is more complicated for teachers who change countries, and your tax home may not be where your school is. You are responsible for taxes on your income, so ask a tax advisor familiar with your situation. If the law requires TeachLessons to withhold tax, such as German withholding tax on payments to sellers outside Germany, we deduct it and send a confirmation.
How do I join TeachLessons as an international school teacher?
Apply with the short application form, which takes about five minutes. We email your seller documents, including the Resource Submission List, an Excel sheet with one row per resource. Sign the agreement, fill in the list and send everything with your final files and PNG or JPEG previews and thumbnails in one email to support@stifo.de.
We confirm receipt within 2 business days, write your product pages and set up your author page and landing pages. There is no extra approval round, so send final versions only. You can add, update, re-price or remove resources later by email.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell resources while teaching abroad?
Yes, from any country, as long as you write in English and can receive PayPal payments in US dollars. Check your school contract and local rules on outside work first.
Can I mention IB or Cambridge in my resource titles?
You can say a resource is for IB or Cambridge classes if that's accurate. Don't suggest it is official or endorsed, and don't use their logos.
Should I use British or American spelling?
Pick one, apply it consistently and state it in the description. British spelling suits many international schools; American-curriculum schools often prefer US spelling.
Can I sell a unit my department wrote together?
Only if you hold all the rights to it. Shared department work usually involves other authors and possibly your school, so check with them and your contract before selling.
What happens to my payouts if I change countries?
Nothing changes on our side: payouts go to your PayPal account in US dollars by the 15th of each month. Email us if your details change, and ask a tax advisor about your new situation.
Is there a fee to sell?
No. There is no membership, sign-up, annual, listing or per-resource fee. You keep 70% of net revenue and TeachLessons keeps 30%.
Ready to sell your teaching resources?
Apply with the short form. We email you the seller documents, you send your final files with previews and thumbnails, and we set up your product pages, your author page and landing pages. You keep 70% of net revenue, with no fees and no exclusivity.
Keep reading
General information about the TeachLessons Seller Program, not legal, tax or financial advice. The signed Seller Agreement sets out the binding terms. Questions: support@stifo.de.